Head lamp for automobiles



Jan. 7, 1930.

H. J. MoNsoN HEAD LAMP FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed April 14. 1927 2 Shleets-Sheet l Jan. 7, 1930.

H. J. MONSON HEAD LAMP FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed April 14, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2v Patented Jan. 7, 1930 UNITED STATES VIEIUGIEII J'. MONSON, OF LAKEWOOD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO DELCO REMY GORPOR DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPO A1 .A.TI-:NT OFFICE ATION, OF

nnfrron or DELA-WARE' HEAD LAMP FOR AUTOMOBILES Application led Apri114,

This invention relates generally to headlamps for automobiles, and more particularly to the manner of connecting the door or front of the lamp to the body of the same, the

5 object being to provide an exceedingly simple and efficient form of fastening means which will compensate for variations in manufacture and will maintain all of the parts in close sealed relation and avoid rattling.

In a large number of headlamps in general use at the present time the door and body are connected by means of a hook or lug engaging the door and lamp body at 'the top of the headlamp and a screw engaging the nut at the bottom.

It is necessary in headlamp construction to provide an effective seal to exclude moisture, dust and air from the silver plated reflector and in most of the headlamps in common use there are such variations in the manufacture of the various parts that considerable attention must be given to compensate for these variations and produce an effective Seal for the reflector.

In some cases headlamps having the `socalled hook-on type of door construction, a cork seal is employed for two purposes, first to seal the refiector and secondly due to its resiliency to take up the manufacturing variations but frequently these variations are of such magnitude that the cork in itself is not capable of producingan effective seal at all 4times and it is therefore desirable to provide additional means of compensation so that at no time will the reflector seal become ineflicient.

The object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a door connecting means in which springs are employed to aid and maintain a competent seal and another object is to so secure the sealing means that the same does not become impaired or deranged in applying the door to the body of the lamp.

Another object is to provide novel means 5 for` securing the glass in the door frame so that the glass will be securely held even when the frame is disconnected from the lamp body. Where spring means have been employed in the past, the location of the door lug at the D top has been placed so far towards the front 1927. serial No. 183,680.

of the doory that after the door has been removed it was diiiicult to reassemble it to the body and engage the lug in the slot due to the fact that the position of the lug was obscured` during the assembling operation.

It is, therefore, one objectof this invention to so design the yVarious featuresas to bring the door lug as close as possible to the rear edge of the dooriso that when the door is assembled to the lamp body the engagement of this lug with the slot in the body of the lamp is clearly visible. Y

With these various objects in view the invention consists in the various novel features of construction and in the manner of combining or arranging the same all of which will be fully described hereinafter and set forth in the appended claims. Y

In the drawings forming a part ofv this specification Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of an automobile headlamp embodying the novel features of my invention; Fig. 2 is a face View of the lamp with the door removed therefrom; Fig. 3 is a rear or inner face view of the door and lens or glass; Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view taken on thev line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view illustrating the spring clamps for holdingvthe L glass or lensin the door frame and also the manner of connecting the refiector to the lamp body; vand Fig. 6 is a detail view of a modified form of spring clamp.

In the practical embodiment of my invention I employ a lamp body or shell 10 which may be of any desired shape, the front circular edge thereof being turned inwardly as shown at 11, and the reflector 12 is secured to this inwardly turnedv edge by means of screws 13, the reflector being formed with an annular lseat or' groove 15 to receive the cork sealing 'ring 16.

At the top of the ieiector an outwardly 'projecting lip 17 ispunched and contacts with the cork packingor sealing ring 16 and holds the same securely seated in the groove or seat '151 andprevents any movement of the ring tion a bending or dislocating strain has been applied to the upper outer edge of the cork ring with the result that frequently the inner or rear edge of said cork sealing ring has been sufficiently displaced from its seat on the reflector `vto impair the seal at that point.' By means of ythe lipor lug 17 this is entirely avoided as the rear inner end of the cork ring is firmly held in place, and all danger of bending'or dislocating the same isavoided.

The door or frame 1:8 is'circular in form and channeled as shown, therear edge being rolled back as indicated at 18a. The glass 19 lits snugly into the circular frame as shown and is held in place by means of spring clips A20 comprising a long leg 20a which extends down into the yrolled edge 18a, and a shorter leg 2.0b arranged at yan angle to :the leg 20a and .terminating in -a hook 2()c which engages the outer edge of the glass. .At the juncture vof ythe legs 20a and 20b there is `formed a projection 20d which flts into the groove or seatV 18d of the door or lframe 18. These spring clamps securely hold .the Vglass in place, and due to .their shape and resiliency maintain their position in the door frame, but if desired indentations can be produced inthe rolled-in .edge 18a or a :drop of solder may be employed to connect `the clamps to the door frame.

yIn Fig. 6 I have shown the cla-mp formed of spring wire and comprising the section 21c which engages the edge of the glass7 lthe protruding portions 21a which fit into the groove and the members 21d which are made slightly divergent so as to be readily inserted in the channeled ring, and then by forcing these 'members .towards each other the sharp ends 21e are caused to bite into the inrolled edge 18a :thus securely loc-king the clam-ps to the ring.

'The door is secured to the lamp body at the top by means of a lug 22 a-nd at the bottom by means of a screw' 23. The lug 22 is angular in form as shown, one portion thereof fitting into the rolled edge 18a of the door frame while'the other member thereof extends inwardly as shown.V This inwardly projecting .portion of `the lug is adapted to Vpass into the opening 24 produced in the top of the lamp body adjacent the front edge thereof.

Engaging the lug 22 is a -spring actuated plate 25 which extends partially across the opening 24 and bears against the lug 22.

This plate 25 is bent in the shape indicated `in Fig. 1 of the drawings and is partly within the lamp body and partly without, A coil spring 2G is held between the inrolled edge 11 of the lamp body and the inwardly projecting portion 25a of the plate 25 and whereby pressure isa-pplied to the plate so that tension is always exerted upon .the door through the lug -22 tending to force the same rearwardly.v This not'fonly holds the door securely but also firmly holds the glass into contact with the sealing ring 16 so that the seal is completed and the parts prevented from rattling.

The lug 22 is placed so far towards the rear edge of the door frame Ithat it can be readily inserted in the opening 124 'and once the lug is so inserted the spring pressure of the plate 25 holds the same in ,its propel' P0- sition. lhe plate 25 being turned back and contacting with the top of the lamp body .and .having ,some width is prevented from turning or twisting.

As the vfrontof the lamp is connected to the lamp body at the top and then brought down to a vertical position Vfor :the purpose of securing the bottom, `the lip 17 punched from the reflector :and engaging the vtop edge of the packing ring 16 will hold said ring lirmly seated and will prevent any tendency to tilt the saine.

The screw 23 passes through a glass positioning cla-mp 27 and engages a clevis 28. The glass 19 is formed with a notch 1-*9a at the center of the bottom ledge and ,the positioning clamp 27 is secured in the glass carrying frame 18 atthe bottom thereof being :rigidly connected thereto and the inner end of this positioning clip is of such size and is bent as shown at 27a so as -to fit into the notch 19a. This insures the correct placing 01E-the glass in the frame which is important when the glass is iluted or prismatic for the purpose of `giving direction to the beam of light.

tThe head of the screw Y23 fits into the countersunk hole in the trarne 18 and the inner threaded .end engages the forward end of the clevis 28 which is essentially rectangular in shape, the parallel rearwardly :extending lugs thereof passing through Aopenings produced in the inturned edge of the body and a coil spring 29'is held :between the rear member of this clevis and the inturned edge 1l, as most clearly shown in Fig. 4. The rear side of the clevis is punched out as shown at 28a and the inturned edge 11 is also .punched out as indicated at 11'a for the purpose .of positioning the spring- 29. At the same ,time an opening is provided for the entrance of the inner end of the bolt 23. The side members ofthe clevis frame are also provided with shoulders `28b which limit the rearward movev ment of the clevis. The clevis being vin the forni of a substantially rectangular trame and the side members 'thereofpassing through the openings in the edge 11,- -all danger of .turndanger of loss of the bolt is avoided. When the bolt 23 is screwed into engagement with the clevis spring pressure is applied to the bottom of the door frame through the clevis to which the bolt is connectedand this pressure will be exerted at all times, the same as the spring pressure is being exerted upon the lug at the upper end by means of the spring actuated plate.

It will thus be seen that I provide for the quick and easy attachment of the door frame to the lamp body and at the same time maintain spring pressure thereon so that rattling is avoided and a perfect seal maintained at all times.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a lamp, a body portion and a glass carrying frame, spring pressed means in the top of the body for securing the frame to the body at that point, a screw passing through the bottom of the frame, a rectangular shaped clevis located in the body at the lower side thereof, a spring arranged within said clevis and contacting with the clevis and the inturned edge of the body portion,'the forward member of said clevis being threaded and engaged by the screw carried by the frame for the purpose of securing the glasscarrying frame to the body at that point.

2. In a lamp, a body portion having inturned forward edges, a glass carrying frame the glass of which is provided with a radial notch, a clip carried by the frame and fitting into said notch, a bolt carried by the frame having a reduced portion passing through the clip, a rectangular shaped clevis positioned in the inturned edge of the body portion, a spring positioned between the rear side of said clevis and the inturned edge of the body, the threaded end of the bolt engaging the threaded forward side of the clevis, an inwardly projecting lug carried at the top side of the frame, the body having an opening f in the top thereof and thro-ugh which the lug passes and a spring actuated plate positioned within the body portion and having its end extending rearwardly over the top of the body portion and engaging the lug.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

HUGH J. MONSON' 

